To Carto or not to Carto that is the question...

Baditude;10871846 said:

Rocketpunk;10871391 said:

Paging Baditude!! Paging Baditude!! Baditude, peer review this. If I got anything wrong, please correct it.

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You did well, young Rocket. You learned well. I agree with all that you spoke.

Bassnorma said:

1) What is your favorite tank? Why is it a favorite?

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I have tanks from at least six different manufacturers. I have 12 made by IBTanked. These offer the most value to quality, with the widest selection in diameter (4) and length (3) of any tank manufacturer. IBTanked pyrex tanks review

Bassnorma said:

2) So, prepunched or punched? Is it merely a point of getting the holes just the right size or where you want them?

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This depends upon personal preference from past experience. I've hand-punched my own and slotted my own with a powered dremel tool. Tool punched cartos inevitably deform the carto tube from round to oval, which when passed through the tank endcaps' round holes can cause unnecessary wear-and-tear on the rubber o-rings. The o-rings are responsible for sealing liquid & air, keeping the tank from leaking, and keeping the tank from sliding off the cartomizer during use. Slotting causes sharp metal edges and shavings which can also injure the o-rings.

View attachment 258305 View attachment 258306

Laser-drilled holes do not cause any harm to the o-rings. I have found that they allow proper passage of e-juice from the tank to the cartomizer polyfill as well as hand-punched or slotted carts.

To further protect these fragile o-rings, I strongly recommend a tank tool. The end of the carto is sharp, and passing the carto through the o-rings can damage them. The Slap Yo Moma tank accessory tool from Big Daddy Vapors is the best I have used.

View attachment 258304 Slap Yo Moma tool PBusardo demo

Bassnorma said:

3) Only two holes? What happens if you punch more?

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Two laser-drilled holes are a nice place to start out with. These work well for the majority of e-liquids. If you use high PG liquids (thinner liquid), one hole might work best for you. If you use high VG liquids, three holes might work best. Too many or too large of holes can cause the carto to become flooded.

Bassnorma said:

4) Is there such a thing as carto quality or are they all pretty much the same vape experience?

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My experience has been Ikenvape cartos are the premium carto available. They are produced by an un-named China manufacturer to US vendor Isaac @ Ikenvape's strict specifications with higher quality metal tubes, polyfiller, and heating coils. This manufacturer limits the number of cartos they will make for Ikenvape, so they are in high demand and limited quantity. Superior flavor production and longer lasting.

Boge has a denser polyfill which some find difficult to absorb liquids while filling, and sometimes don't wick as well.

Smoktech has a less dense polyfill which absorb liquids easier while filling, wick well, but also may flood more easily.

Any dissatisfaction with cartotanks can generally be determined to be from using very cheap or poor quality tanks, or from user error. If one brand of carto doesn't work well for you, don't give up on cartos entirely. Switch to another brand which may work better to your vaping habits.

Bassnorma said:

5) Carto over clearo? I realize this is subjective and subject to personal taste and preference. But why would you choose one over the other?

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Most definitely carto > clearo. Better flavor, more consistancy, less fussy, no leaking or juice into the mouth.

Clearos use strings to wick juice to the heating coil = small surface area; less efficient.

Cartos use a big wad of pollyfill to wick juice which completely surrounds the heating coil = large surface area; more efficient.

Bassnorma said:

6) Single or dual coil. Huh? Why would two be better or worse? Isn't only one coil doing the heating?

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A minority prefer dual coil carts. The majority prefer single coil. Dual coils were a good idea on paper which didn't work out to be practical in real life. There's a story behind this, but I won't go into it here.

Bassnorma said:

7) Do I have to preload if the punched carto is in a tank? Can I just let it sit and soak up juice or is that a bad idea?

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Properly priming the carto is the absolute most important step in setting up a cartotank, and will determine how well that carto will perform and last for its life in the tank. There are different methods to accomplish this, and the best method is the one that ends up working best for you. Here is the method that I have used successfully: Baditude's Cartotank Setup Guide

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